


One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

by TheAwkwardStar



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, It's kinda sad, Sansy, Wormy - Freeform, my bad - Freeform, rehab cabin DLC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:19:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10141286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAwkwardStar/pseuds/TheAwkwardStar
Summary: A side story for Sansy and Wormy's Rehab Cabin DLC.Papyrus finally snaps on Sans, and things don't end well.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sansybones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansybones/gifts), [withtheworms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/withtheworms/gifts).



> So I remembered I submitted this story to Sansy and Wormy's page a loooong time ago, and I thought "hey, why not put it on my brand new AO3 account that doesn't have much yet?" 
> 
> Not gonna lie, writing this bummed me out a little.

Papyrus went grocery shopping that day.

While his brother’s large assortment of vegetables in his (rather impressive) garden were a delight to eat over greasy food, there were additional ingredients he needed to satisfy his growing culinary skills.

Not that his cooking was half bad before, but…he had certainly improved since then.

He searched through every aisle for anything good to cook with. There were so many spices and herbs he still had trouble recognizing.

Adobo…Curry Powder….Paprika…oh, Oregano! and um…what on earth does ‘Sumac’ taste like?"

“Need some help, hun?”

Papyrus jumped a little at hearing an unfamiliar voice. He looked down and saw that it was a stout, elderly woman. Her hair was wrapped up in a small bun and her skin seemed unusually smooth for someone her age. She was smiling at him.

He smiled back nervously. “Err…yes, actually! I was wondering if there were any ingredients here I could use to make a good vegetable soup!”

“Hmm…” The old woman rubbed her chin pensively, observing all of the different spices. She pulled one of them out.

“…Cayenne Pepper is good if you want to add a little kick to a stew. If you want to make it sweeter, I’d suggest using Star Anise. It’s wonderful to use on sauces as well.” She handed both powders over to him.

His smile became more genuine. “I think I can work with this. Thank you very much!”

She nodded. Her eyes widened suddenly. “By the way…are you one of the two skeletons living in that isolated cabin a few miles from here?”

Papyrus tensed up, frowning. “…How did you know that?”

She covered her mouth. “I’m sorry…that must’ve sounded strange. I know it’s not any of my business, but…I was simply curious. There were a few other monsters who came by this store talking about it one day. No one has lived there in so long…and there you two are.” She chuckled. “…I was thinking of going to say hello, but the shorter skeleton beat me to it. He came to this store asking for gummy worms. An odd request from someone I didn’t expect, but he was very polite and even struck a conversation with me. I gave him the candy for free.”

He immediately felt guilty for assuming the worst. It was just a friendly old woman. An old human woman who liked Sans.

Frisk had already proven that humans could be trusted, so why…did he hesitate? Even if it was for just a moment?

“I…thank you for doing that, Miss. I’m sure that my brother appreciated the kind gesture.”

“Oh, think nothing of it.” The woman waved her hand dismissively. “It seemed like he needed that candy more than I did.”

Papyrus squeezed one of the containers in his hand. “…Yes. I suppose that he did. Thank you again. Really.”

She started to walk towards the cash register. “Anytime! Though there really is no need in you thanking me so many times.” She giggled.

Papyrus laughed as well. He paid for the items and headed out. As he drove back home, he couldn’t help but keep smiling.

Perhaps there was more hope for Sans’s recovery than he thought.

*****

Papyrus giddily walked up the steps and swung the front door open.

“Sans! I’m back! I’ve got some new ingredients to add into that vegetable soup we were planning on! I even met a nice old lady who said she me-”

He froze. Papyrus looked around in shock. He hadn’t even left for a whole day, and the house was already a mess. Clothing was tossed haphazardly all over the floor. He made his way to the kitchen and reeled backwards. It reeked of burnt food and smoke. A few vegetables that were on a plastic cutting board were mashed beyond recognition.

All in all, the condition of the place was…frustrating. What on earth had Sans been doing? Was it that he tried to start cooking before they could do it together?

Papyrus dropped the grocery bags on the table then immediately went searching for his brother. He went outside and looked in the garden.

Not there.

He went a little further until he came across a lake.

Not there either.

He ran back to the cabin and went to Sans’s room. Papyrus knocked.

“Sans? Are you in there?”

No answer.

“I’m coming in.” Papyrus wasted no time in opening the door.

And there he was. Sans was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with an unreadable expression. His arms and legs were splayed outwards. His eyes eventually moved to where Papyrus was standing. He made a strained smile.

“Heyyyy, bro. What took you so long?”

Papyrus looked down at a watch he was wearing. “…It’s only been half an hour.”

“Really? Heh. Felt like an eternity.”

Papyrus rubbed his eyes. He walked over to Sans’s bed and sat on the corner of it.

“What’s wrong?”

“You already know the answer to that. ” Sans sighed, covering his eyes with one of his arms.

“…Do you know what day it is today?”

He used his other hand to count. “…Wednesday.”

Papyrus gripped the edges of the bed. “…It’s _Saturday.”_

“…Sorry.” Sans sat up. Papyrus managed to give him a weak smile.

“Are you ready to cook?”

Sans looked down at his white shirt. It was stained with a vast assortment of colors. Gritting his teeth, he plopped back down on the bed.

“…Nope. Not feeling it today.”

All of the joy was sucked out of Papyrus’s expression. _“…Why?”_

“Because,” Sans glowered at his younger brother. _“I don’t want to.”_

Papyrus lowered his gaze, arms trembling. “…Okay.”

He stood up abruptly and walked towards the door. Just as Papyrus set his hand on the doorknob, he stopped moving. Out of nowhere, Papyrus pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Sans. It hit him square in the chest.

But it didn’t hurt.

Sans looked down at it, startled by his brother’s sudden reaction. He picked it up.

A bag of gummy worms.

“I was going to give you that later,” Papyrus said. _“After_ we finished cooking. The nice old woman gave me another complimentary one to hand over to you as a gift.”

“But since you clearly don’t want to do anything productive, I decided to hand it over to you now.” His grip tightened on the knob as he opened it angrily.

“…Why do you always have to go back to your old rhythms when you’re doing so well??? Why can’t you just stay better when you are?!? You’re not being fair to me, or our friends, or even _yourself!”_

Sans winced at his harsh words. He got out of the bed and got close to Papyrus, slowly extending his hand towards him.

“…Pap…I…”

“DON’T,” He snapped. “Just…don’t.” Papyrus stormed down the stairs and headed for the front door.

Sans’s eyes widened. He hopped off of his bed and went after Papyrus. “…Wait. Wait! Where are you going???”

Papyrus glanced back at Sans with a piercing glare.

“….I’m leaving for a few hours. I need some time to think.”

His breath caught in his throat. “About what? About what???”

Papyrus slammed the door shut before he could get an answer.

*****

“…I-I just don’t know what to _do._ No matter what I try…he won’t _listen_ to me.”

Papyrus was sobbing loudly as Mettaton patted him gently on the back.

“There, there…everything will be alright, darling.”

He smiled. “Is there any other reason why you’ve called us all over to Toriel’s house? Aside from telling us about your current issue?”

Papyrus looked around. Almost everyone that had come for the ‘intervention’ from before was here. Aside from Burgerpants, Nice Cream Guy and Doggo, who were all apparently busy. Asgore had no trouble since he wasn’t nearly as much of an important figure as Mettaton when it came to socializing and being interviewed by the humans. The celebrity had to pull some strings to make it to the second meeting.

And this time, Frisk had decided to join in. They sat beside Toriel, looking at Papyrus with a worried expression.

“I…” Papyrus twiddled his fingers. He sighed. “…I was hoping…that perhaps, at least a few of you could help me talk to him…about how much better he’s gotten. The cabin really has helped him, but…I’m worried he won’t want to come back to the city.

“A-and why do you think that?” Alphys chimed in.

He was a little surprised that she finally spoke, but he continued. “Well…he seems so much happier there. But…” Papyrus looked down at the ground guiltily. “…I’m not. I want to stay with him more than anything, but…I also want to move back here.”

He covered his face. “…What am I supposed to do…?”

He felt a large, warm hand rest on his shoulder. It was Toriel. She smiled at him when he looked at her.

“We all understand that you and Sans have your differences. However…I do not believe that our opinions would matter much to him if he is enjoying his current life in the cabin.”

She squeezed his shoulder. “…You should not be ashamed to tell him how you feel. As long as you are honest, Sans should understand.” She looked over to the side. “…Perhaps it is best for you to stay beside him until you know for sure that he can handle things on his own. But you are more than welcome to visit any of us as much as you like. Sans too, if he is willing.”

Frisk nodded in agreement. Papyrus smiled.

“…Thank you. All of you.“ He pulled out his phone.

"I should probably call him to let him know I’m coming back. We…had a bit of an argument earlier, and I want to apologize for that as well.”

Papyrus dialed the number on his phone and waited for Sans to pick up.

No answer.

“He’s…probably asleep or in the garden. I’ll try again.”

Papyrus dialed once more.

“Whoa, that lazy bag of bones actually raised plants? And they’re _not_ dead?” Undyne asked.

“Nyeh heh! He sure did! It’s actually quite amazing. The vegetables are always ripe and delicious!”

“…Huh. No kidding.”

He waited for Sans to pick up the phone.

Silence.

“That’s strange…maybe he really is asleep.”

She rolled her eye. “Pfft. That wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”

“Undyne!” Alphys protested.

“What? Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it!”

Papyrus tried calling again. And again. And again. By the sixth call, Papyrus was deeply concerned.

“I…think I should head back…”

The rest of them seemed just as worried as he was.

“…Do you want us to come with you?” Toriel said.

“No, no.” Papyrus smiled. “…I can go check on him myself. I’ll call all of you when I get there!”

He waved goodbye as he headed back to his car. Once he got inside of it, he drove back to the cabin as fast as he could. The vehicle screeched to an immediate halt in front of the house. He bolted out of it and went straight for the door.

Papyrus opened the door, breathing frantically. “Sans? Sans! Why didn’t you pick up your phone? Are you alright?”

He gasped. The clothing scattered around the living room was gone, but he could still smell the rancid odor coming from the kitchen. It seemed much more powerful than before for some reason…

Papyrus hesitantly entered the kitchen. His eyes immediately landed on Sans, who was lying on the table unconscious. Three bottles of whiskey were on the table as well; each one was almost completely empty.

“Oh god…” Papyrus grabbed one of the bottles. “Where…did you get these…? You said you weren’t going to…”

He walked over to his brother and began shaking him.

“Sans! Sans!!! Wake up!”

Sans did not react.

“SANS! PLEASE WAKE UP!!!”

He twitched. Sans started moaning weakly.

“Thank god…” Papyrus lifted his brother up into his arms and carried him over to the couch. He shakily began dialing Toriel’s phone number, sniffing as tears fell from his eyes.

“H-hello…? Yes, it’s me. Sans, he…he must’ve been angry with me…he drank again, but it was t-too much this time…” His voice quivered. “H-He’s…breathing. But he won’t wake up. I think he gave himself _alcohol poisoning…”_

“…Y-yes. I’ll wait for you all to come…bye.”

Papyrus hung up. He looked down at Sans and started crying.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to get mad at you…I was…stressed. I shouldn’t have said anything…”

He lied down next to Sans on the couch.

“Please…just wake up.”


End file.
